barrett: 158 months old

 

Barrett wanted his monthly photo with Poppy this time, and she definitely doesn't fit on the chair, so we made do with the couch!  Barrett has had a fun month doing MAC camp (strength and conditioning camp for football), even though it wears him out for the rest of the day.  He got to skip a week when we went on the cruise, and then missed this week because he went to his friend's ranch.  Barrett loves the ranch because they have baby goats, but they did put him to work hauling feed.  Next week he will be in 3D printing camp!

Likes: setting off fireworks at the pool parking lot for the 4th

Dislikes: making his bed

203 months old

 

We are halfway through summer and I don't think we've slowed down, despite this ridiculous heat!  Britton has been busy this summer with a nanny position in our neighborhood for 3 girls 7 years old and younger.  They wear her out, but it's good to having spending money.  Especially because she and the hubs went to Anime Expo in California, where she found many fun keychains and pictures to buy.  Now Britton is gearing up to have her wisdom teeth removed next week - all 4!  She's surprisingly not nervous, but I can't say the same for her mother ;)

Today we went to the first of many senior activities - yearbook photos!  They did the classic black drape and pearl necklace (I told her how I have the same thing on for MY senior photo, eons ago!) and the cap and gown photos.  I wasn't allowed to take any photos except for the "selfie wall" (below).

Likes: being first in line for senior photos - we were in and out in an hour!

Dislikes: narrowing down her birthday wish list

barrett: 157 months old

 

Barrett has started off his summer vacation with a week at Texas A&M Galveston Sea Camp!  For the first time, he went with a friend and they roomed together.  Both enjoyed the Coastal Ecology camp, and got to go on boat rides, dissect a turtle and shark, and visit Moody Gardens.  He came back sunburned and with a ton of sandy laundry.

While Barrett was at camp, we replaced his twin-sized tree house loft bed with a new full-sized bed!  He was ready for a bigger bed, and it worked out to do it while he was gone.  He starts MAC Camp next week, with 2 hours per day of conditioning camp for football.

Likes:  Legos and Microsoft Flight Simulator

Dislikes: oysters

202 months old

 

It's summer vacation!  Britton is doing some nannying for a neighborhood family this summer, and getting ready for our cruise in a few weeks.  And the one thing she's got planned this summer that she does not want to do is have her wisdom teeth removed.  But come July 15th, she is!  All 4!  

I think she's most looking forward to the cruise because she's bringing her friend Jody with her.  Jody moved to Virginia, so Britton doesn't get to see her often, and now they'll get an entire week to hang out and have fun!  Barrett will be stuck with us boring parents, ha!

Likes:  making nails

Dislikes: the humidity

barrett: 13 years old!

 

Barrett is officially a teenager!  We celebrated his birthday on his actual birthday (family gifts, because it was also Britton's softball banquet night), then out to dinner at Gringo's the next night, then a party at Activate with his friends.  Whew, 3 days of celebrating!  We got Barrett many new shirts and also the Lego Pan Am airplane - his number one wish.  Memaw and PawPaw got him some plane models and shirts, and Aunt Jessica got him a gift card so he can treat himself to something fun!

Barrett loves all things airplanes, so much so that he's mentioned that he wants to work for the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) when he grows up, and investigate plane crashes.  Legos/building things comes in a close second, and Lego airplanes are definitely a favorite.  He loves his 1:400 plane models because he wants to construct a miniature airport - I just need to figure out where he can put it!

Likes:  Sea Camp (coming up the first week of summer)

Dislikes:  waiting for school to be over - finals are next week and he's ready to be finished with 7th grade

201 months old

We are getting into the last month of Britton's junior year! I can't believe how quickly this school year as flown by.  It feels like we were just getting back from Christmas vacation, then Spring Break, and now she's juggling AP exams and grad parties.  It's a hard milestone for me, knowing that soon enough Britton will be starting her senior year of high school.  Cue the crying because I will be a perimenopausal mess!  Britton is set to have 6 AP classes next year, with a "fun" class of ceramics thrown in for a creative outlet.  Her school cancelled AP French, so no language class next year, unfortunately.

Britton's softball banquet is this week (on Barrett's birthday!) and sadly, it will be her last as a player.  Under the new coach, the coaching staff is focused on rebuilding, and seniors don't really factor into that team.  As a senior, she'd be guaranteed a varsity spot, but she'd probably see little field time.  She plays first base, and the new coach prefers first base players that also play pitcher.  Britton was offered, and accepted, the team manager position for next year!  She still wants to be a part of the team, and in this way, she's not constantly disappointed with her position on the team.

Likes:  sneaking in a nap on the couch, her Dunkin Donuts iced caramel cappucinos

Dislikes:  AP exams

 

barrett: 155 months old

 

Barrett had a fun Easter!  Sometimes I think my kids are getting too old to enjoy an Easter basket, but when they asked if we were doing them this year, and an egg hunt, I knew we had to keep it going.  The Easter bunny delivered the usual favorites (Cadbury creme eggs, mini eggs, Twix) and a Monster drink!  We moved the egg hunt indoors because it's always a race against the ants.  The Easter bunny even included some dollar bills in the eggs to make the hunt that much more competitive! 

Barrett also had an art show, which was awesome!  He and some friends worked on a ship in the water, and Barrett was in charge of blending the water.  He did a great job!  He also got his braces removed.  He had braces twice, and is now free of them, and is getting retainers tomorrow.

Likes: Memaw's Easter bunny cake, getting rid of his braces

Dislikes: STAAR testing coming up